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Honduras
Honduras, officially the Peasants' and Workers' Republic of Honduras (Spanish: República Campesina y Obrera de Honduras), is a country in Central America bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, and to the north by the Gulf of Honduras, a large inlet of the Caribbean Sea. Nominally it is a representative democracy, however, all the political power is concentrated in a directorial council comprised of a coalition of intelligentsia and military personnel. The government has ceased to represent the people and has mostly lost credibility among the populace using military force to control various transport links around the country. Honduras can, therefore, be considered an undemocratic and highly corrupt state. Honduras' total area makes it the third-largest country in Central America, falling behind to both Guatemala and Nicaragua. It is ethnically quite homogeneous where most of the population is comprised of Mestizos and relatively small communities of Amerindians and Afro-Hondurans. Its capital and largest metropolis is Tegucigalpa. Other major urban areas include San Pedro Sula, Choloma and La Ceiba. History Since its independence following the break-up of the Federal Republic of Central America in 1838, Honduras has had a very unstable government, even by the standards of the region. Control of the government alternated between the Liberal and Conservative (later National) parties, rarely through constitutional means. The first peaceful and legal transfer of the presidency occurred only in 1899. In addition, Honduran politics was also the subject of extensive meddling by its three more powerful neighbors, particularly Nicaragua, which has invaded the country several times. Large-scale cultivation of bananas in the late 19th century saw fruit soon replace precious metals as Honduras’ principal export. The banana trade was controlled entirely by American companies, who quickly gained total economic control over the north coast of the country, building railroads and wharves. As a result, the United States became more involved in Honduran affairs, deploying marines in the country in 1903, 1907, 1911, 1912, 1919, 1924, and 1925. These interventions were deeply unpopular among Hondurans. Despite a period of relative stability in the 1910s, the state of Honduras remained fractious. The last American intervention came the same year as the great stock market crash, but the United Fruit Company nonetheless continued to exert tight control over the economy and each successive government while working conditions remained poor and pay low. Popular discontent swelled in 1932 when the country’s farmers and workers rose up in the December Revolution. Unable to contain the situation, President Tiburcio Carías Andino committed suicide. In the wake of the revolution, a peasant republic was declared and the executive presidency was replaced by a directorial council. All members of the government were made to swear an oath of loyalty to the Anti-Corruption Party (Spanish: Partido Anticorrupción), which pledged to reduce the United States' influence in Honduras. In 1934 a large number of army officers, perceived to be loyal to the old regime, were purged, an action that was met with strong disapproval by the other Central American nations. Despite its appearance as a revolutionary government, the Honduran Council is, in effect, a dictatorship by bourgeois elites. Failing to carry out any significant reforms, it has become unpopular with most of the population. An anti-government demonstration on December 22nd, 1935 in Tegucigalpa saw the military deployed and several protestors shot. Despite the council’s strong anti-socialist policy and increasingly authoritarian measures, much of Honduras has descended into lawlessness, with left-wing militants left to run free in the countryside, attacking government property. Furthermore, the economy has not recovered from the 1925 crash and many laborers refuse to work. The situation in Honduras remains very unstable. Politics For most of Honduran history, executive power was exercised by a president. The December Revolution changed this, replacing the presidency with a directorial council. The so-called "Peasants' Council of Honduras" set up after the revolution has been dominated completely by the Anti-Corruption Party, and all other political parties have been kept out of government. Most Hondurans feel disenchanted by the council’s rule, and socialist agitation in the countryside is widespread. Collective Head of State and Government: Honduran Council Chairman of the Honduran Council: Jose Leon Castro Minister of Foreign Affairs: José Ramón Adolfo Villeda Morales Minister of Finances: Juan Manuel Gálvez Minister of the Interior and Population: Arturo Martínez Galindo Military Army The Armed Forces of Honduras (Spanish: Fuerzas Armadas de Honduras) are organized into two divisions and field a total of 9000 soldiers. Navy Honduras lacks a navy. Air Force The Honduran Air Force (Spanish: Fuerza Aérea Hondureña) fields five fighter planes. Foreign Relations Honduras has friendly relations with the United States, Guatemala, and Costa Rica. Honduras has very unfriendly relations with Nicaragua. Relations between the two have been historically poor, but in recent years they have truly reached the nadir. After the success of Sandino’s revolution, many Nicaraguans opposed to the new socialist regime fled north to Honduras where they found asylum. Furthermore, it is widely believed that the Sandinistas are supporting socialist rebels in the country. Economy Since colonial times, Honduras has been an undeveloped, export-focused country. Major exports were cattle, tropical wood, and especially precious metals. After independence, many attempts were made by the young government to expand the mining industry and exploit what were known to be major gold and silver deposits. The mining industry languished until liberal reforms in the 1880s opened up the country to foreign investment. The New York and Honduras Rosario Mining Company (NYHRMC) became the first American company with a major presence in Honduras and built the first railroads. By 1889 the NYHRMC was shipping bullion valued $700,000 to the United States. However, most other foreign ventures in Honduras met failure. In recent decades, the mining industry has become eclipsed by fruit plantations as the main product of export and driver of growth. Railroads and company towns have sprung up around the north as a result of the banana boom. Production is controlled by a handful of large American countries, including the Standard Fruit & Steamship Company. With their far-reaching economic power, these companies have a considerable influence in the Honduran government. Culture Input here. See Also *El Salvador *Guatemala *Nicaragua *United States *Costa Rica Category:Countries Category:North American countries